


Zelda Theotokos

by ZeldaByrdeBishop



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:08:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25615642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeldaByrdeBishop/pseuds/ZeldaByrdeBishop
Summary: Late one night, Zelda is called by the Revered's wife as a "Hail Mary" to deliver a child who won't make it without her help.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place (as always) in the universe of "A Witch By Another Name"  
> This will be a two shot!
> 
> TW: Blood and a Character Death
> 
> Also it should be noted that I am in no way a medical professional so bare with my poor medical writing, I truly made stuff up that felt right based on my very limited research.

Zelda sat quietly holding her leather bound Satanic Bible in her lap, while her left hand gently rubbed Sabrina’s infant hand while the babe slept in the victorian carrier beside her in the pew. She could hear Ambrose and Hilda commiserating with the townsfolk of Greendale, crying and hugging as the town filtered into the funeral hall, but Zelda kept her eyes on the two coffins in front of her. It had never occurred to her that she may one day be sitting in the front row of her own funeral home. 

It had been four days since the deaths of Edward and Diana Spellman and if Zelda was being honest, it still felt like a horrible dream. They didn’t even have bodies to bury, just two pictures Hilda had copied to place in each coffin. 

Suddenly, a mocha colored hand squeezed Zelda’s shoulder and she jumped, her Satanic Bible falling to the floor. She turned expecting Ambrose, but was met with the kind, empathetic smile of a woman - the local preacher’s wife, Mara Walker. 

“I’m sorry to have startled you,” the pregnant woman quickly apologized. “I should have said something first!”

Zelda scowled her instinct to snap, but she held her tongue and picked up the Bible dusting it free of any debris from the floor. She said nothing, waiting for the woman to leave, but she didn’t. Instead the woman waddled around the pew to sit beside Zelda inciting an incredulous look from the witch. The mortal wasn’t dismayed. 

“Are you alright? Is there anything that my husband and I can do to make this time easier for you and your family?” She asked her hand hovering as if to touch Zelda’s arm, but no contact was made. 

Zelda moved the crib slightly and scooted further from the woman before opening her Latin Bible to block the woman. “No.”

Mara nodded and leaned back in the pew, her hands coasting over her protruding stomach, keeping the silence for a few minutes before speaking again, keeping her eyes on the coffins. “I remember when my sister died.”

Zelda’s eyes raised slightly.

“...I remember feeling angry at the world and God for taking her away. She was always the good one of the two of us. Always the infuriating little “goodie two shoes” with endless “godly” patience for others that my parents loved, while I was stuck in detention for putting gum in a white boy’s hair because I didn’t like the look he gave me. She was always good at keeping any rage to herself and once she was gone…...It just… I felt this empty pressure. How could I be both the “bad” daughter and the “good” daughter in one person? The thing was - I couldn’t. I just had to learn that I would have to know I was enough without her. It turns out, I was.”

Zelda took a moment to let the woman’s words sink into her skin before slowly shutting the book. She looked back to Sabrina, who’s eyes had opened, gazing in wonder at the colors the stained glass left on the ceiling. She looked so much like Edward.

“I can’t imagine what it would have been like if she’d left a daughter behind.”

Zelda turned to face the woman, glancing between her kind brown eyes and her red lips before looking back down to Sabrina. 

“Ms. Spellman, if you need anything to help with Sabrina, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ve been preparing for months for my daughter. I’m sure it feels disorienting to have to learn so much all at once.”

“I don’t need help with Sabrina.”

Mara quickly touched Zelda’s arm, “I in no way meant to offen-”

“I was a midwife. Sabrina is the one thing I feel sure about,” the witch confessed, gently taking Sabrina’s hand between her fingers, inciting a giggle from the infant, who took her aunt’s finger in her hand, swinging it around. 

Mara smiled, watching, “I didn’t know that…”

Zelda nodded and smiled softly with a gentle shrug looking back at the woman, “I don’t practice anymore… and thank you.”

Mara’s smile grew and she squeezed the witch’s arm, “You’re welcome. If you ever need a drink once this pregnancy is over, don’t hesitate to call,” the woman finished with a wink before standing with a struggle to go back to her friend Anne Putnam, who was also incredibly pregnant. Perhaps they planned to go through this chapter of their lives together.

Zelda looked back down to Sabrina and kissed the infant’s little hand, leaving a small lipstick stain that had to be rubbed clean. 

***

Zelda woke to the phone bleating into the night and snarled into her pillows before slowly prying herself from the comfort of her sheets. She glanced to Hilda, who stayed asleep through the infernal ringing, snoring gently as she starfished in her bed. Zelda rolled her eyes and growled to herself, walking down the hall to the upstairs phone to retrieve the call, if only she could sleep so soundly. 

Zelda’s voice was dry and unamused as she answered, “Spellman Sister’s Mortuary, This is -”

“Zelda! Zelda we need you at the Putnam house! Zelda please come there’s so much blood!”

The witch’s eyes widened, “Mara?!”

“Hurry, please!” The preacher’s wife pleaded before hanging up. 

Zelda immediately summoned her medical bag and the keys to the hearse, and ran out to the car. The dewy grass was wet on her feet, but it didn’t even occur to her that she was still in her lacy black nightgown and silk kimono robe - shoeless. Her mind was solely focused on getting to the Putman’s house as quickly, but humanly as possible. She was already running through all the possible causes as she drove. There were many reasons excessive bleeding could occur during labor, but Zelda knew even with her mental preparations, she wouldn’t be able to properly diagnose and hopefully fix whatever was happening until she arrived in the room. 

The witch fearlessly tore up the Putnam’s driveway and ran up the porch steps just as Mara opened the door, tears streaming down her face, blood on her hands.

“Where is she?” Zelda asked, her urgency apparent, while keeping a very calm composure. 

Mara pointed to the room adjacent and Zelda quickly tore off the silk kimono and washed her hands and arms quickly but thoroughly in the kitchen sink before arriving at the scene. 

Blood was everywhere and the witch dove in, immediately barking orders to the two men on the scene. “Mr. Putnam I need damp towels, now! Reverend I need hot water.”

It was likely placental abruption, possibly due to the woman’s age or blood pressure, “Did she hit against anything?” The witch took out a pair of scissors, surgical thread, and a syringe, starting to work quickly, muttering spells under her breath. 

“I-I can’t remember,” Mara confessed as she stroked Anne Putnam’s hair. The woman was pale and too weak to cry out, falling in and out of consciousness. 

“Where is Dr. Martin?”

Thomas answered as he brought in the water, which they’d begun boiling previously as Anne had gone into labor, “He’s driving as fast as he can, but he was out of town. She hit the corner of the table as she was moving to come into this room after the contractions started to get worse.”

Zelda nodded and injected the woman with a steroid before using the towels and water to get a clearer picture of the situation. She knew she needed to get this baby out immediately or it would not survive, if it was even still alive now. “Reverend, get a towel ready,” she warned as she reached into Anne Putnam, her hands moving swiftly with expert precision, securing the emerging baby in her hands, as her feet planted solidly on the floor, feeling each contraction against her hands and using them to inflict as little damage to the babe’s mother as she pulled the child free from it’s blood filled first home and cut the umbilical cord. 

“Clean him off and get him breathing!” Zelda demanded the Reverend as she ducked back down to do everything in her power to stop the bleeding. Joe Putnam sat in the corner, his head in his hands, looking as if he was going to be sick. 

Zelda worked desperately to stop the bleeding and stitch what she could, but as she worked she could feel the Putnam’s life draining onto her body as the red blood kept traveling up her arms, coating her mostly bare chest and the front of her black lace nightgown, until she hit the table as the woman stopped breathing. Zelda jumped to the woman’s side and pressed her hands into Anne’s chest rhythmically in an attempt to jump her heart back into gear before performing mouth the mouth and jumping back to the woman’s chest, but it was clear the battle was lost as Anne’s face slowly lost more and more color until it was an ashy grey. The world seemed to stand still.

Zelda took a step back, covered in blood that dripped onto the floor from her elbows and let out a shaky breath. “....She’s gone.”

The silence of the room that followed was interrupted by the cries of a baby.

“It’s a girl…” The Reverend confided, correcting Zelda’s earlier statement.

All eyes moved from the corpse of Anne to the small squirming baby in the Reverend's arms. 

It was a girl. Mara’s chin trembled and she quickly covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh..Annie…”

Joe Putnam just sat, staring at the squirming babe, clearly in a state of shock.

Celebration would have to wait. 

Zelda’s eyes moved to connect with the Reverend’s and she spoke, “......I need to shower. Do you know where I can find something of Mr. Putnam’s to change into?”

Thomas Walker nodded and walked over to the women, taking the time to hand the child to Mara, who held the little girl close, while stroking her best friend’s hair. Zelda’s heart pulled as the woman slowly sat in a chair the Reverend pulled up, deflated and defeated before Mr. Walker placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head with a sniffle. He looked back to Zelda with watery eyes and signaled her to follow him. 

He led the witch upstairs and opened the bathroom door for her. “Go ahead. I’ll place what I find on the counter here.”

Zelda nodded and stepped onto the cool tile floor, trying not to look in a mirror as she tucked her finger under the strap of her nightgown, turning back to the Reverend. 

He watched her, his eyes brimming with tears, but his voice was soft and sincere, “...Thank you, Ms. Spellman. We would have lost them both without you.”

Zelda could feel her eyes prickle with tears as her throat swelled and she nodded, “I’m sorry I couldn’t save them both…..”

The Reverend nodded, “....the Lord works in mysterious ways…”

He tried to smile, but it didn’t move past a grimace and he shut the door for her. 

Zelda let the nightgown fall to the floor and she stepped inside the shower, turning on the water to scrub every inch of her body. The water rushed around her feet, turning bright red as she pressed her palms against the tile wall, counting slowly to four as she pulled air into her lungs, counting to four as she held it there, and then released her breath on four, repeating this over and over to keep from hyperventilating. She could feel a phantom pain in her abdomen and hit the shower wall, focusing on the pain that pinned through the back of her hand before running them through her hair. 

She heard the door open and then close again as the Reverend left her clothes and she let herself sink into the wall, pulling her legs in to hug them against her chest. Her chest shuddered against her thighs as her tears fell and she looked up beyond the falling water droplets into the steamy fog that rose from it. She prayed Satan would forgive her for helping the mortals and more significantly she prayed that Dorothea would forgive her for failing to save one yet again. A Putnam no less. Her heart seared with pain, but she forced herself up, she had to finish the job.

Once her body was as clean as she could manage, she stepped out of the shower and dried off before putting on the large pair of pants with the belt the Reverend had known to provide and the oversized shirt. She looked down at her nightgown and sighed, picking it up to throw it in the trash before washing her hands again, after using a towel to clean the blood off the floor and returned downstairs. 

Joe had moved to stand by his late wife’s side, running his thumbs over her hand like Dorothea used to and Zelda could feel her muscles clench.

Mara looked up and immediately stood as Zelda entered the room, rushing over to wrap the woman into a one armed hug, her voice still choked as she spoke, “Thank you- thank you for trying.” 

The witch nodded, feeling a tear fall that she quickly wiped away forcing herself to stand up straighter, “No one can know I was here. I...I revoked my license two years ago when I retired. What I did tonight was illegal and no one can know or I could be sued…” Zelda glanced to Joe Putnam, who made no sign that he even heard her. 

Mara’s hand gently coasted up and down Zelda’s back and she nodded. “We won’t tell a soul.”

Zelda nodded and reached for the baby in Mara’s other arm, “I’d like to look her over at the mortuary if I may… to make sure everything is alright. We can tell the town that your husband delivered the babe.”

Mara nodded and let Zelda take the girl, “Anne wanted to name her Susie….”

Zelda gently stroked the infant’s nose, “Hello, Susie.”

The baby looked up at her with the biggest blue eyes the witch had ever seen and revealed her pink gums to the woman, squirming. Zelda smiled slightly before she looked back up to the Reverend and his wife, her small piece of joy fading, “Reverend, would you be willing to aid me in getting Mrs. Putnam’s body in the hearse. Ambrose and I will prepare her in the morning. Mr. Putnam can stay in our guest room tonight,” she finished looking over to the man, who still hadn’t said a word.

The Reverend nodded and rolled up his sleeves, “So, long as you’re sure that isn’t too much of an imposition. We can also house him.”

Zelda shook her head and started for the door to prepare the back of the hearse, “He should be with his daughter.”

“Zelda, do you need help?” Mara asked as she followed the woman outside.

The witch shook her head as she walked down the porch steps to the back of the hearse, opening it one handed, “I’m alright. Please stop by the mortuary tomorrow. I have a tea blend that will help ease the toll of any stress you’re feeling for the baby’s sake.”

Mara nodded and crossed her arms against the chill of the breeze, watching as Zelda layed out a black tarp over the inside of the back of the hearse, “I will...thank you.”

Zelda gently rocked the baby as she began to fuss, while Thomas emerged from the door, carrying Anne’s body to where Zelda stood and gently laid the woman on the tarp. 

“Are you going to need help getting her inside the mortuary?” He asked genuinely.

Zelda shook her head, “I’ll wake Ambrose.”

He nodded and reached over to stroke the top of Susie’s small head, “Mara and I will clean up here. Thank you for taking Joe in for the night.”

Zelda nodded, all of the thanks making her uneasy, while a dead body lay in her trunk. “Would you get Mr. Putnam? I’d like to check Susie over as soon as possible.”

The Reverend nodded and left to retrieve the man, who walked to the car as white as a ghost to sit in the passenger seat, buckling himself into the seat only because it was second nature. 

Zelda approached the passenger side of the car with the baby, “Are you capable of holding your child, Mr. Putnam?” Her voice was no nonsense and very serious, unwilling to put Susie’s life at risk in unsteady hands, but knew she shouldn’t hold the babe and drive at the same time unless she had to. 

The man looked up at the child and Zelda could see a small glimmer of hope in his eyes as he nodded finally finding the strength to speak, “Yes...Yes. I can hold her.”

Zelda nodded as his body language shifted slightly, becoming stronger as he reached for the babe that Zelda placed in his arms before moving to get into the driver’s seat, taking in a silent, but deep breath as she put her hands on the steering wheel. She put the car in drive and backed out of the driveway, turning to take the Putnam’s to the Spellman Mortuary.


	2. Chapter 2

It didn’t take Zelda very long to set Joe Putnam up in their spare bedroom upstairs. Nevertheless his eyes still gazed in wonder at the aesthetic of their home, holding Susie close while Zelda dug through an old chest in the closet, pulling out a set of pajamas that had belonged to her late brother Edward, handing them to him. 

“....Thank you, Ms. Spellman,” he replied, the world still feeling very distant, but his body and mind were at least growing accustomed to moving and speaking without prompt.

She nodded and took Susie from his arms, “I’m going to check Susie over. I’ve left a pitcher of water on the dresser with a glass and the bathroom is the second door on the right. Sleep. I’ll wake you if I find anything amiss with your daughter.”

He nodded and held the pajamas in his hands, feeling their soft fabric between his fingers as the woman left with his child. He assumed he should feel fear for his daughter, leaving her with a strange woman, but he couldn’t shake the image of the formidable woman crouched between his wife’s legs, pulling the baby to safety, her hands even in such a gruesome context, nothing but gentle as she passed the baby off to the Reverend. He shuddered and squeezed the fabric to center him back to Earth. 

***

Zelda did every magical test she had the knowledge of and determined that Susie, although allergic to soy beans and iron deficient, was as healthy as a newborn could be. She smiled and gently tickled the babe’s bare belly. “You’re just fine..Yes! You’re just fine.”

The baby kicked her feet and swung her arms wildly, starting to fuss.

“Oh, no…. We can’t have that,” Zelda cooed softly as she re-swaddled the babe in a soft green knit blanket before mixing a few herbs to prompt the infant’s immune and digestive systems into a bottle with formula. The witch placed her finger over the tip of the bottle’s nipple and shook it before picking up the babe, holding Susie close as she tickled her lips with the bottle. The baby fussed louder and turned away from offending plastic. “I know…” Zelda cooed softly, walking the baby upstairs and out onto the porch in hopes that the baby’s cries wouldn’t wake Sabrina if they were outside. She gently stroked the baby’s cheek and tried to redirect the baby’s face to the nipple, but Susie wouldn’t budge. So, Zelda gently placed Susie on her legs, wetting her finger with the warm milk, easing it into the infant’s mouth. The baby’s big teary eyes grew big as she sucked on the woman’s wet finger, “Ah…See, Susie?” 

Zelda’s heart swelled as the baby grinned, her sucking ceasing for a moment when the milk was cleaned from her finger. “How about you take the bottle, Auntie Zelda made you?” Zelda gently tapped the baby’s nose as she removed her finger. The baby’s mouth immediately screwed into a cry that Zelda silenced with the bottle, smiling when the baby took it, sucking on the plastic nipple while her tiny hands made snow angels in the sky. The witch leaned down and gently kissed the baby’s forehead as her fingers found one of the baby’s hands, letting Susie squeeze her finger as she nursed. “What a good girl…” 

The witch relaxed as the baby drained the bottle. Despite all the trauma of birth, at least she was hungry. She hummed softly, carefully lifting the baby to her shoulder so she could burp her, but realized she didn’t have a cloth. “M...we’ll have to swipe a burp rag, won’t we? Do you want to see Sabrina? Yes, how about we see Sabrina…” 

The witch quietly re-entered the house, padding softly upstairs, entering her and Hilda’s bedroom where Sabrina had begun the squirm. “Hello, Sabrina…. How is my little night owl?” Zelda cooed, stroking the baby’s cheek before grabbing a few things, setting them in Sabrina’s crib at her feet before using her hand to bring it up off of the ground with magic, taking both girls back downstairs to the porch, wanting to take advantage of the uncharacteristically warm early November weather. She set the burp rag over her shoulder and unpacked the blanket and empty bottle from the base of Sabrina’s crib, getting Susie to burp before switching her with Sabrina, so she could feed her niece. She would have to do double time on her two hour feedings tonight, but the witch wasn’t deterred. She patiently fed Sabrina and burped her before switching her back for little Susie Putnam and sitting down, gently rocking Sabrina’s crib with her foot as she held Susie close, resting the baby’s face against the bare skin of her chest where the buttons of the shirt didn’t connect.

Susie’s squirming immediately calmed as the sound of the woman’s heart beat and the warmth of her skin provided the comfort she didn’t know she’d been craving. Zelda smiled to herself and kissed the top of the babe’s head, rubbing the infant’s back. “I have you…” 

The witch shut her eyes, relaxing into the bench with the baby as Susie started to suck on her tiny fist, her own eyelashes fluttering against Zelda’s skin, to fall asleep. Zelda softly began to hum. She didn’t really know any lullabies, but she did love “The Song of Purple Summer” and deduced that it would do for the purpose of sending Susie to sleep. 

***

Joe Putnam had found it difficult to sleep. Not only was he in a strange house, in strange clothes, in a strange bed, but he’d watched the birth of his children coincide with the death of this wife and he couldn’t get the image out of his mind. Once again the intrusive flash of Zelda Spellman pulling Susie free accompanied by the rush of blood filled his eyes and he pressed the base of his palms into his eyes until it left. He remembered when Mara looked up at the Revered, her eyes gleaming with hope as she declared she would call the eldest Spellman sister. Neither he nor Thomas had even known Zelda Spellman had practiced medicine. The Spellmans were so odd he’s always assumed they’d just always done mortuary work. It fit. He wasn’t sure he could ever see Zelda Spellman in scrubs, but he also hadn’t thought he would see the woman in  _ his _ clothes either. He wondered what made her retire.

Birds had begun to gently chirp outside of the window and he sighed, glancing at the clock. It was 5:46. Zelda had told him that she would wake him if anything was wrong with his daughter, but he wanted to check on her regardless. He hadn’t heard hardly a cry all night, which seemed illogical for two babies in the house and he went to investigate. 

There was something about sneaking through the creepy Spellman house that gave him the adrenaline to forget what his new life was about to entail and he peered into a another guest bedroom, the bathroom (he’d forgotten Zelda had told him where it was), what appeared to be the beginnings of a nursery, and finally a bedroom where Hilda Spellman lay fast asleep in one of the two beds. He assumed the other bed must be Zelda’s with the large vanity and the book at the base of her rumpled sheets. He snuck into the room and looked at the cover, but found it was in another language. The stark difference between the two sides of the room was almost comical. Hilda’s side contained a lewd novel on the side table along with colorful flowers and even a bright blue dress in the corner, things seemingly haphazardly placed on her smaller vanity, while Zelda’s was quite the opposite. Curiously he looked at the dark colors of the older Spellman’s side of the room and admired the tones of gold that covered her vanity, everything seeming to be in its place aside from the sheets and an odd taxidermied rabbit toy that sat on her vanity. He frowned looking at it and picked it up, feeling an odd sense of familiarity, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He set the toy back down and left the room to continue his search. 

He traveled down the stairs and looked around. He passed through the kitchen, shocked by the amount of greenery the sisters kept alive and made his way into what must be their living room, where he found them. Zelda was curled up in a large green chair, her body wrapped protectively around his daughter who lay fast asleep in the woman’s arms. He could see Susie’s tiny hand clutching the white button up shirt Zelda still hadn’t changed out of as the sleeping baby left a dribble of spit where she’d attempted to nurse on Zelda’s collarbone in her sleep. He was afraid to get too close as the woman snored lightly, wanting to see Susie, but not wanting to wake what he knew could very well be a sleeping demon. Sabrina’s mobile crib was only inches away from the woman, and a line of six small bottles lined the floor at the crib’s wheels. 

He stared at those six bottles and frowned deeply. He would have to take paternity leave from his job. Anne was meant to stay home and care for Susie. He could feel the clouds start to take their hold of his mind and he worked to shake them free. He needed to be here for Susie. Anne would be waiting for them at home. Surely, it was just a bad dream. He would make coffee, entertain the dreams notion that he clearly had a crush on Zelda Spellman and he would wake and all would be right. 

He walked back to the kitchen and luckily found the coffee maker quickly. Everything he needed was stationed close by and he got to work making coffee, hoping the Spellman’s would find it endearing rather than an imposition. 

Once the coffee was brewed he found two mugs, one a solid black mug and the other a detailed mug that was flecked with gold and blue. The mug seemed like Zelda’s, the little gold details matching the essence of the gold detailing in her bedroom, and he hoped presenting a familiar mug would put in her better spirits towards his existence in her kitchen. 

His instincts were tested sooner than he anticipated as Zelda Spellman was awake when he returned, although she hadn’t moved from her position to preserve the baby’s resting state. 

“Good morning,” he said, feigning confidence as she held the coffee mug out to her.

“It was until you began clamoring in the kitchen.”

“...I’m sorry.”

The woman shook her head and took the coffee, taking a well needed sip, “Not bad.”

He nodded and shoved his free hand in his pocket, taking in the silence that followed as they drank their coffee. 

“.....So, how’s Susie?”

Zelda didn’t respond, her eyes trained on his hand in his pocket.

“Ms. Spellman?”

The woman remained unmoving.

“Ms. Spellman are you alright?” He frowned, removing his hand to reach out for her only to be met with a scowl and a recoil. 

“Yes. Just tired. Susie is fine.”

He nodded and stepped back, his hand finding his pocket again.   
“She’s allergic to soy beans and has an iron deficiency, but other than that she’s surprisingly healthy.”

He nodded again and looked down at his daughter. She was so tiny.

“Would you like to hold her?”

“I…..I wouldn’t want to wake her…”

Zelda nodded, but made a noncommittal sound, “She’s out like a light. I’m not even sure it would wake her. Lucky for you you have a little sleeper, quite the opposite of Edward’s little gargoyle. Isn’t that right, Sabrina?” Zelda asked playfully, her fingers slipping over the side of Sabrina’s crib to be greeted with a playful gurgle. 

Joe did his best to contain his excitement, but his energy was palpable, “Ok….ok. Yeah.” 

Zelda’s smile left Sabrina to train on the man and motioned for him to sit on the couch as she slowly and carefully got up, to place the infant into his arms. “Make sure you support her head…..Good.” 

His smile grew as he looked down at the disgruntled baby, who was clearly not a fan of being moved, but true to Zelda’s word she curled right back up, her little blue eyes shutting against the world. 

“She’s beautiful.” 

He nodded, in awe of the small being in his arms. “I can’t believe she’s mine….”

Zelda sat back down next to Sabrina’s crib, using her fingers to keep the baby occupied. 

“I...just wish Anne were here to see her,” he continued. He could feel tears pricking his eyes, but he did everything he could to force his emotions back inside him. He wasn’t going to cry in front of Ms. Spellman or his daughter. He wouldn’t expose such weakness when he should be strong. He needed to be strong for his daughter. 

“.....I was married once.”

His head snapped up, the surprise enough to take him out of his mind. “You were?”

Zelda nodded, “Keep your voice down.” She looked to the stairs listening, before looking back to him, her eyes sorrowful and serious. “It was done in secret. But…..I do understand what you’re going through. Not completely, but enough to tell you things do get….manageable.”

He nodded and looked down at Susie, clenching his jaw to keep it from trembling. Half of his wanted to hear more about Zelda’s late husband, but the other half of him knew her story could open the floodgates of his own tragedy. He also knew he should probably leave with Susie and get out of the woman’s hair, but he wasn’t sure if he could go home just yet to find Anne not there. He decided risking the floodgates was safer. Perhaps it would be different enough to feel like a story. “...What was his name?”

“Dorothea.”

His eyes grew wide and he looked up at the woman. She held her coffee cup tenderly, but her body language was tense, almost as if she expected him to stand and strike her. Dorothea. He had a long deceased relative by that name. Then it hit him. She had married a woman. Zelda Spellman had married a woman. His mouth dropped and he tensed, everything in his body telling him to leave, but the look in her eyes kept him grounded to the spot. Why would she entrust him with such a secret? She knew the people of this town. How could she know that he wouldn’t hurt her for such a thing? If she’d confessed such a thing to Hardge Kinkle she would be a bloody pulp on the ground, children present or not. 

“.......I……….I...don’t have a problem with the…...whole gay thing.”

Her body stayed motionless for a moment before she relaxed her shoulders by force, “Good. It would do you well to keep that close to our heart because now you’re a father and your daughter needs to have the ability to become her own person. All daughter’s do. They don’t do it to spite you or to cause you pain, but one day your daughter may challenge you so that she can become her truest self and you need to be capable and ready to support her and more importantly - to love her.”

The woman’s eyes connected with his again and he could see what felt like centuries of pain pool in her eyes. He’d seen a similar pain in his brother’s eyes, a pain that lingered at the violent hands of fathers and lovers. He may not agree with the lifestyle choices of the Spellman woman or of his brother, but he knew he didn’t want his daughter to ever have that look in her eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”

The woman nodded, “Good…….I hope you’ll stay for breakfast Mr. Putnam.”

“Of course and - Joe…..Call me Joe, Ms. Spellman,” he replied, a semblance of the classic Putnam grin covering his face.

Her eyes welled and she smiled, “......Zelda, Joe. Call me Zelda.”

She stood up and walked over, gently stroking Susie’s nose before taking Joe Putnam’s chin between her thumb and pointer finger. He frowned, his eyes widening, “Zelda?”

Her hold on his chin tightening, “You really look just like her….it makes me  _ weak _ . Bless your mind, bless your heart, let my foolish words depart. You will believe the story that the Reverend tells the town of Susie’s delivery. You will forget you ever entered this home and you will only ever enter again on official business. Now leave.”

Joe Putnam stood, his eyes glassy as he started for the door before Zelda waved her hand transporting him home to come to. 

Ambrose watched from a dark corner on the stairs as her jaw trembled. She wiped her palms over the shirt of his she still wore before snapping her fingers to change her clothes into one of her normal lace nightgowns. 

“Blessed Satan, forgive me…” she murmured to herself reverently before taking the mugs to the sink, leaving Ambrose’s line of sight - turning the sink on.

He puckered his lips as his fingers twisted around a small red chord, “Oh Rahab, may your walls not come tumbling down…”


End file.
